Solving equations with the quadratic formula - Math Worksheet We are going to need to find our a, b, & c which means we need the equation to equal zero. So let's add 1 to each side. x 2 + 5 x = − 1 + 1 + 1. x 2 + 5 x + 1 = 0. Remember the standard form is a x 2 + b x + c so we have: x 2 + 5 x + 1 = 0. a = 1, b = 5, c = 1. Now, here comes the quadratic formula. It's a lot of plugging in and ...